Friday January 24, 2014

A Hip Hammond hybrid of 60's and 70's drenched R'n'B, Funk, Latin, Jazz, Soul and Pop. Big Boss Man are currently in the studio putting the final touches to their fourth album due out this year on Blow Up Records, and alongside brand new tracks expect such classics such as 'Sea Groove' and 'Party 7' which have won them fans worldwide. Their last album 'Full English Beat Breakfast' was described as:

Described as 'psychedelic post-punk krautrock', GIT-Award winner and Liverpool Music Awards Nominee (Best Album 'Towers', 2013) Baltic Fleet is the moniker of multi-instrumentalist and DIY producer Paul Fleming (ex-Bunnymen) who recently returned with his second album 'Towers' which was described as:

"Immense. Fleming has upped the ante on an already stellar debut"Rough Trade Shops 'Album Of The Week' & 'Albums Of The Month'

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Friday July 12, 2013

The sleeve for 'MHz Invasion', the debut from Sicilian experimental Avant-Pop duo Daiquiri Fantomas, was created by in-house Blow Up designer Claudia Arnold and shot on location in Lanzarote, where the volcanic landscape echoes that of Daiquiri Fantomas own Sicily. The large uninhabited volcanic areas of the island make a perfect stand in for the barren but beautiful lunar worlds that 'MHz Invasion' hint at.

Friday March 9, 2012

Blow Up's new monthly West London residency at Ginglik in Shepherd's Bush, continues with the BLOW UP EASTER SPECIAL on THURSDAY 5th APRIL (please note that we're usually the First Friday of the month - moved forward to Thursday for Good Friday). We've FIVE live bands for you this month: SULK, FRACTURES, DAVID WOODCOCK, THEE ATTACKS (dk) and POWERSOLO (DK). Plus of course Blow Up DJs Paul Tunkin & Ian Jackson (and the occasional guest) spinning their trademark mix of Pop Stylism, 60's Soul, Beat, Garage, Funk, Ska, Soundtracks, Electronica, Library Music colliding with British Pop, Glam, Indie-Pop and New-Wave. ....

A celebration from the other side of Pop where the Kinks, Bowie, Blur share the dancefloor with current newcomers Pete & The Pirates, British Sea Power and Metronomy, all alongside Swinging Soundtracks & TV Themes (The Italian Job to Barbarella), 60s Exotica & Electronica (Jean-Jacques Perry), 60s Club Soul (Motown, Stax etc.), Northern Soul, Beat, Mod Jazz, French Pop (Jacques Dutronc, Bridget Bardot) and New Wave (XTC, Wire).

Under the rainy skies of London, the shining sounds of Britpop, Shoegaze and Psychedelia are back in bloom. Locked up in the back room of an east end gallery stirring up 90s inspired sonic harmonies, this five-piece's influences are less worn on their sleeves, than branded on their hearts. Bands such as The Stone Roses, Suede, Ride and The Verve are wholly evident, but this isn't nostalgia for old time's sake. It's a whitewash of powerful prettiness; with sun-drenched vocals, ethereal guitars and pounding drums, rooted in 90s vibes but with its eyes to the future...

"The kind of indie band that has become all but extinct in recent years" NME ones to watch 2012

David Woodcock live at Blow Up

DAVID WOODCOCK

David Woodcock returns to Blow Up after his show at the club's 18th Birthday in November and will be heading up from the town of outstanding talent Southend-On-Sea. Expect great songs delivered in Dave's own inimitable Essex style. Best described as the closest thing to a knees-up with Chas'N'Dave and The Kinks' Ray Davies!

Thee Attacks (dk) live at Blow Up

THEE ATTACKS (DK)

Fresh from their stint at SXSW and signed to hip Danish label Crunchy Frog are Thee Attacks...

Monday November 7, 2011

The 2nd of Blow Up's new monthly West London residency at Ginglik in Shepherd's Bush, and just in time for Christmas! Always guaranteed to get the party going is BIG BOSS MAN's Nasser Bouzida aka THE BONGOLIAN & his band, with support from THEE FACTION.

THE BONGOLIAN will be playing tracks from his eagerly-awaited 4th album 'Bongos For Beatniks' released this May - a wildly eclectic rare groove fusion of Funk Soul Hammond Beat Jazz and a Sci-Fi Boogaloo. The first single from the album 'The Riviera Affair' was a BBC 6music Lunchtime Love and if you listen to Craig Charles you will have heard more than a few spins on his show too:

Friday September 16, 2011

BLOW UP is 18! Blow Up is pleased to announce that it will be taking the club to other parts of London outside the West End, starting this Autumn with a new monthly residency at Ginglik in Shepherd's Bush, launching on Friday 4th November for Blow Up's 18th Birthday.

Blow Up's playlist is far from being defined by the Brit Pop genre it helped kick-start back 18 years ago in 1993: alongside live bands (early on in the night) expect to hear Blow Up DJs Paul Tunkin, Ian Jackson (and the occasional guest) spinning 60's Soul, Beat, Garage, Funk, Ska, Soundtracks, Electronica, Library Music colliding with British Pop, Glam, Indie-Pop and New-Wave. A celebration from the other side of Pop where the Kinks, Bowie, Blur share the dancefloor with current newcomers Pete & The Pirates, British Sea Power and Metronomy, all alongside Blow Up'strademark mix of Swinging Soundtracks & TV Themes (The Italian Job to Barbarella), 60s Exotica & Electronica (Jean-Jacques Perry), 60s Club Soul (Motown, Stax etc.), Northern Soul, Beat, Mod Jazz, French Pop (Jacques Dutronc, Bridget Bardot) and New Wave (XTC, Wire).

Live guests Dave Woodcock & The Splinters + The Little Bleeders. Dave Woodcock & The Splinters return to Blow Up after their show in September and will be heading up from the town of outstanding talent Southend-On-Sea. Expect great songs delivered in Dave's own inimitable Essex style. Best described as the closest thing to a knees-up with Chas'N'Dave and The Kinks' Ray Davies! The Little Bleeders are a four piece, proto-punk garage band; Rock and roll waifs and strays who came together in the pursuit of music with blood pumping through its veins. Classic influences from The Stooges, The Kinks, The Beatles, The Stones, Surf, 60's Garage Rock, Delta Blues, Scott Walker.

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Thursday May 5, 2011

The Bongolian 'Bongos For Beatniks' Sampler

I love this new album. I've be playing this quite a bit and I'm going to play it to death, its absolutely brilliant. …Its official. The bongolian. My new favourite band. You heard it here firstCraig Charles Funk Soul Show

Thursday April 28, 2011

'Bongos For Beatniks' The Bongolian

THE BONGOLIAN releases his long-awaited 4th album 'Bongos For Beatniks' this May. The album continues the musical journey where 2007's Outer Bongolia left off, bringing us back down to Earth possibly via France circa 1967 via 2011, in a wildly eclectic rare groove fusion of Funk Soul Hammond Beat Jazz and a Sci-Fi Boogaloo.PRE-ORDER on CD: or on lovely Vinyl LP:

The first single from the album 'The Riviera Affair' was recently featured on BBC 6music Nemone's Lunchtime Loves (alongside plays from Gideon Coe and Craig Charles) and was also Sky Sports Soccer AM's track of the week.

Wednesday March 16, 2011

Blow Up Easter Special 2011

Following February's sell-out HMV Next Big Thing night, Blow Up returns to its one-off events with an Easter Special at Madame JoJo's on Thursday 21st April. This will be the first of several larger club events for 2011 in the UK and abroad featuring special live guests.

Playing live: THE BONGOLIAN who will be releasing his 4th album 'Bongos For Beatniks' in May and SILVERY who's recent single 'Two Halves Of The Same Boy' has been going down a storm on 6music. Plus, just addeded SPECIAL NEEDS return after a five year hiatus and will be joining the bill for the Easter Special.

THE BONGOLIAN blends elements of Funk, Soul and Jazz with grinding percussion and heavy Bongo rhythms, resulting in dirty percussive bongo driven Funk and Spaced-out Latin Soul. His releases have become recordbox essentials for DJs, finding a wide appeal from Dance and Hip-Hop to rare groove and funky 45s fans, and to date The Bongolian and his band have toured USA, UK and Europe. The Bongolian releases his 4th album 'Bongos For Beatniks' on May 9th, and the first single 'The Riviera Affair' was a recent Lunchtime Love on Nemone's BBC 6music show.

"Nasser Bouzida is a man with talent to spare. A Latin-flavoured jazz-funk odyssey"Q Magazine

"Forget your preconceptions, this is the REAL incredible bongo band"CLASH

"Mightily funky. Part mod, part Sergio Mendes, very swingin"TIME OUT

Special Needs

Just added to bill! SPECIAL NEEDS. Special Needs return after a five year hiatus and will be joining the bill for the Blow Up Easter Special. On January 1st 2011, the band announced via Facebook that they had reformed with Nicholas Bukowski (formerly of The Rocks) replacing Neil Allan on drums, and after playing several London shows this year they will now be playing at Blow Up's Easter Special. The band played Blow up promoted shows at The Metro Club back in 2002, and during the mid-noughties recorded for Alan McGee's Poptones label and signed to Mercury Records.

"Pure-bred pop class"★ ★ ★ ★ NME

"Very special indeed"What's On in London 'Album Of The Week' - 4 out of 4

"Mixing shambolic indie-rock with dashes of doo-wop harmonies and girl-group backchat, they sound alternately like wide-eyed and legless dreamers, and impassioned, vainglorious self-believers"The Independent On Sunday

"Full of punk self-belief, angular guitars and most remarkably, a perfect pop sensibility"The Sun 3.5 out of 5

Silvery 'Railway Architecture'

SILVERY are an eccentric London four-piece whose music has been described as anything from Artrock, to Glam to Britpop. Lead singer and songwriter James Orman immerses us in a unmistakeably English world of Victoriana and wit. This show follows a headline spot at Club NME @ Koko in January, and comes just before the release of their new single 'Two Halves Of The Same Boy'. Playlisted on BBC 6Music (15/1/2011) the third from their critically acclaimed second album 'RailwayArchitecture'.

Friday March 4, 2011

The Bongolian 'Bongos For Beatniks'

The sleeve for the Bongolian's 4th album is finally revealed! 'Bongos For Beatniks' will be released on Monday 9th May, but if you can't wait that long you can download the first single 'The Riviera Affair' which was recently featured on Nemone's Lunchtime Loves on BBC 6music (she also interviewed Nasser before his BlowUp/HMV show in February), alongside support plays by Gideon Coe and Craig Charles. The track is also Sky Sports Soccer AM's track of the week.

Thursday December 30, 2010

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Monday July 12, 2010

Silvery are recording a session for Mark Riley on BBC 6music to be broadcast live tonight from 7pm. Expect to hear previews of tracks from their forthcoming 2nd album Railway Architecture which will be released on August 9th, and is preceded by the single The Naked & The Dead on July 26th which was recently up for 6music's Rebel Playlist. If you're not in the UK or don't have digital radio you can listen online here. Here's what they've said so far about Railway Architecture:

"One of the most distinctive sounds you're currently likely to hear. Irrepressible and exhilarating" NUDE

Look out for Artrocker's Summer Special issue out now - the covermount CD features the Silvery track 'Identity' taken from the new album.

Check out the video for The Naked & The Dead, directed by Alastair Brotherton and Jock Mooney, and produced by Rich Barnett/Trunk, the same team behind Silvery's video for 'Horrors', which was awarded Best Music Video at the London Short Film Festival in 2009;

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Friday April 23, 2010

Blow Up presents Exclusive Blend Volumes 1 & 2

For the very first time ever Volumes 1 & 2 of the 'Blow Up presents Exclusive Blend Series' are available for download from iTunes (Vol.1 / Vol.2), Amazon.co.uk , Amazon.com, Napster (Vol.1 / Vol.2), eMusic and more. Don't forget, both have recently been reissued on LP (& CD) too if you'd rather get your hands on some vinyl - from all good stores, as well as Blow Up Records mail order.

Volume 1 sees Paul Tunkin, DJ & founder of Blow Up club, taking us on a journey deep into the vaults of the KPM music library. Originally released in 1996, the Blow Up Exclusive Blend series were one of the first commercial introductions to Music Library and the twilight world of the session man. Volume 1 features the cream of the KPM Music Library writers including Keith Mansfield, Alan Hawkshaw, Alan Parker and Johnny Pearson. Most of these tracks had never been commercially available before this release.

Volume 2 sees Blow Up's Paul Tunkin entering the vaults of De Wolfe, Amphonic and once again KPM. As with a bulk of Exclusive Blend 1, many of these tracks were receiving their first commercial airing on this album's release. Originally released in 1997, the album also introduced James Clarke's Wild Elephants to the world, which was later retitled 'Blow Up A-Go-Go' as a thankyou from the writer and became the title track for the successful V2 / Blow Up compilation 'Blow Up A-Go-Go! Dancefloor Classics from The Legendary Blow Up Club'. This album includes tracks from many great music library theme writers including Keith Mansfield, Alan Hawkshaw, Syd Dale, and Alan Moorhouse.

Thursday March 11, 2010

Neon Plastix release their long awaited debut LP 'Awesome Moves' on May 10th 2010 (UK) + album will be preceded by single Gentlemen's Gold.

The band have achieved a cult following both in the UK, Europe and USA, despite having only released 2 singles to date (Neon Invasion/Prick Tease, On Fire/Dream), and secured deals along the way with E.A Games 'Need For Speed' and Sony Eriksson for use of their music. Neon Plastix have played multitudes of dates across Europe, even including a spot at Glastonbury, as well as touring with Late Of The Pier amongst others (who they also remixed). After they declared an inevitable hiatus whilst some members finished college courses and such, the band have woke up and rubbed their eyes, dusted themselves down and are ready to release their debut album 'Awesome Moves'